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Book Review – The King’s Harvest – Chetan Raj Shreshtha

When I first saw this book, I fell in love with its cover. I would have brought this book just because of its cover, if I had not received its review copy from Aleph Book Company, the publisher. The King’s Harvest by Chetan Raj Shrestha offers two extremely well written novellas namely “An Open & Shut Case” and “The King’s Harvest”.

The book is written as if every word to narrate each story has been chosen with extreme care by the author. Once you get the hang and the mood of both the stories, you wouldn’t be able to put the book down. I read this book mostly while commuting to work in Delhi metro and thoroughly enjoyed it. For me, the first novella i.e. “An Open & Shut Case” is what worked better. I felt second novella, “The King’s Harvest” could have been a bit more elaborate in terms of storyline. Just when I was getting the hang of the story, it ended.

An Open & Shut Case is about the murder of a police constable Puran by his wife Kamala just before the New Year’s Eve in a village in Sikkim. One could have easily figured out the it’s an open and shut case and it looked the same to Inspector Denchen, a tough and foul-mouthed lady cop. But, as soon as the case starts unfolding for Denchen, she founds that this entire thing is much more complicated that it seems like. Lies, deceit, love gone wrong and various other shades of grey is what comes across very strongly as she delves deeper into this murder case.

The King’s Harvest is a much simpler story when compared with the former. Its about a man who emerges after 32 years of isolation to meet the king in Gangtok. On his way through the forests and valleys, he narrates his life’s story to his children which is full of high-end drama and magic. This story captivates you from the word go.

Overall, The King’s Harvest by Chetan Raj Shreshta is a brilliant debut. His writing has a finesse and the way both the novellas have been written with twists and turns would definitely keep you gripped. I highly recommend this book to those who are exploring new authors and looking for some quality writing.